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How to Clean Up Photos from the 1920s & 1930s

Discovering a shoebox chock-full of old family photographs is like finding buried treasure. The pictures transport you to another time, when older relatives were young and the streets of your hometown were uncrowded. Photographs from the '20s and '30s, especially if they weren't kept in an album, are sure to be coated in dust and dirt. Depending on how they were stored, the prints may have begun to curl or partially disintegrate. Great care should be taken when cleaning up these historical items.

Things You'll Need

Soft towel
Air blower bulb
Camel's hair brush
White cotton gloves
Microfiber pads (or cloths)
Photo emulsion cleaner

Instructions

- 1
  Drape a soft towel over a firm, flat working surface. Arrange the photos on the towel so that they are evenly spaced and the images face upward.
- 2
  Put on the white cotton gloves to protect the photos from fingerprints and skin oils.
- 3
  Hold the nozzle of the air blower bulb roughly three inches from one of the photographs. Fire several short bursts of air at the photo to remove surface dust and debris. Try several different angles to remove as much dust as possible.
- 4
  Wipe the photo gently with a camel's hair brush to remove any remaining dust.
- 5
  Moisten a microfiber pad with a light amount of photo emulsion cleaner. Wipe away any water marks, fingerprints or other stains using straight, single passes with the pad.
- 6
  Repeat the above steps for all photos that require cleaning.

Photography